"I Am the Greatest Boxer": Articulating Group Identity through Chinese Folk Drama Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Abstract Practitioners of the variant of Plum Blossom Boxing preserved in Zhuzhai village, Henan province, China, include in their repertoires, along with choreographed sequences designed to enhance martial prowess, a comic routine that parodies genuine fighting techniques while combatants exchange taunts and boasts. The article argues that this performance is a folk drama that symbolically recounts folk history, focuses group identity, and establishes prestige within the regional martial arts hierarchy.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF AMERICAN FOLKLORE

author list (cited authors)

  • Zhang, G., & Green, T. A.

citation count

  • 1

complete list of authors

  • Zhang, Guodong||Green, Thomas A

publication date

  • July 2018